Shade one of first improvements to come from Wild Spaces funds

Saturday

Apr 15, 2017 at 3:14 PMApr 15, 2017 at 3:14 PM

The list calls for $1.8 million in renovations for 17 projects, which include Lincoln Park’s baseball field, city pools, Ironwood Golf Course’s restrooms, parking lot and fairway drainage, designing and planning a park near J.J. Finley Elementary School and providing shade at eight city parks, including Depot Park.

Andrew Caplan @AACaplan

The city of Gainesville has started receiving funds from the Wild Spaces and Public Places initiative and will soon begin making immediate improvements across the city.

City officials recently met and agreed to send a list of identified projects that could be quickly renovated within the next six months to the city commission seeking approval at one of its next meetings.

The list calls for $1.8 million in renovations for 17 projects, which include Lincoln Park’s baseball field, city pools, Ironwood Golf Course’s restrooms, parking lot and fairway drainage, designing and planning a park near J.J. Finley Elementary School and providing shade at eight city parks, including Depot Park.

City Commissioner Adrian Hayes-Santos said he hopes the J.J. Finley park design is similar to the construction at Depot Park.

“In my view we should have high-quality parks,” he said. “I want Gainesville to have world-class parks.”

Wild Spaces and Public Places is a half-cent tax Alachua County voters adopted during the November 2016 general election. The funds go toward conservation and improvements to parks throughout the county and are expected to generate about $130 million over the tax’s eight-year life span, ending in 2025.

Alachua County officials will see about $74 million in that time, $46 million will go to Gainesville and the rest to the county's smaller cities. Additionally, the county has committed to $3 million worth of Gainesville projects that have countywide impact.

Gainesville will see about $484,000 per month, or $5.8 million a year, for the duration of the tax.

When discussing the immediate renovations, city commissioners also expressed interest in using some of the money for an amphitheater at Depot Park.

Hayes-Santos added that shading for parks, including Roper Park, Cofrin Nature Park and Cedar Grove Park, should be completed by summer time for families to enjoy.

Contact reporter Andrew Caplan at andrew.caplan@gvillesun.com or on Twitter @AACaplan.